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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23048233">Burnout</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/skam_stan/pseuds/skam_stan'>skam_stan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Druck | SKAM (Germany)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Stress, University, slight angst</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:56:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>811</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23048233</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/skam_stan/pseuds/skam_stan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>David is running into a creative block. Matteo senses impending burnout.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Matteo Florenzi/David (Druck)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>75</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Burnout</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A short little thing I did because I am teetering on the edge of block and burnout. Midterms suck. And I don't have anyone to tell me to take a break. And I have an essay that's a page too short.</p><p>Feel free to put fic ideas in the comments if there's something you want to see written!<br/>This is something I did while working on an essay because this is just what I honestly want to be working on. Hopefully I can go back to this paper feeling refreshed.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Fuck, fuck, fuck," David muttered as he repeatedly pressed the backspace button on his laptop, letting whole lines, paragraphs, and pages fade into digital dust. His last five assignments for this scriptwriting course had all earned him shit grades and he knew he had to step it up for this next piece if he was ever going to earn a respectable grade. Before he knew it, the whole assignment was gone. The cursor blinked at him, unfeeling. He sat there blinking back at it chest growing heavier and heavier with each moment he searched his brain for a serviceable idea. He didn't even notice the sound of the apartment door opening, of Matteo slinging down his bag and padding into their room. </p><p>"Baby?"</p><p>Matteo found his boyfriend staring at a blank screen, his shoulders visibly shaking with the effort it was requiring him to pull breaths in and out. </p><p>"David, baby," Matteo whispered, placing his hand gently on his shoulder in an attempt to spin him around in his chair. David stiffened his body, and Matteo's instinct was to jerk away, hurt, but he persisted, twisting himself up onto David's desk and gently sliding his laptop aside so he could hold his face and look him in the eye. "Deep breaths baby, what's wrong?"</p><p>David simply pushed his head into Matteo's chest and grabbed his hand to link their fingers. He took one more deep breath and then managed to find some words. </p><p>"I'm shot for ideas, Teo. I've got absolutely nothing. Nothing. My grade in this class..." David took another shuddering breath. "My grade in this class if fucked if I don't come up with something I don't feel like deleting."</p><p>Matteo nodded slowly, processing, before he said, in his soft spoken way, "David can I...can I take care of you today?"</p><p>David huffed a little and looked up from Matteo's chest. When he looked at him, he saw sheer love, concern, and caring. He managed a nod, and with that, Matteo gently slid off the desk and helped David up from his seat, leading him toward the shower. David immediately knew his plan. Whenever Matteo was teetering on the brink of a depressive episode, David would lead him to the shower and David would gently massage shampoo into his hair and lather soap all over his skin. </p><p>Matteo sat David down onto the toilet and turned on the water before turning around to unbutton David's shirt, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead as he did. </p><p>David guessed his plan correctly -- Matteo tended to David's hair, gently shampooing and working in David's special conditioner for his curly hair. David's head had settled down by the time they had moved onto soap, and for the first time in weeks he could pick out distinct thoughts instead of the racing mess his mind had been in for the past week. As he settled down into this headspace, Matteo got them out of the shower and toweled them both off. </p><p>"Oh," Matteo yelped. He dashed out of the room and came back with two shirts, two boxers, and two pairs of sweatpants. Matteo gently pulled his blue palm tree shirt over David's head and passed him the other set of boxers and sweats while he dressed. </p><p>"I picked up stuff for pasta dinner," he murmured. David let out a soft hum of approval. </p><p>Ten minutes later, David was laying halfway on top of Matteo, fluttering halfway between wake and sleep. Matteo was whispering to him, assuring him of everything he had doubted in the past week without even knowing. That his mind was beautiful. That he could create something where nothing was. That he made a decision to wake up everyday and work to love himself and feel at home in his body. That he made Matteo feel so, so loved. That they were a family, that they would always have each other, no matter their grades or their careers or their health. </p><p>With these reminders, David drifted off, his mind feeling completely still for the first time since the start of the school term. </p><p>When he woke, their apartment smelled of basil and tomatoes, and there was the sound of a podcast playing gently in the kitchen. David smiled, thinking back to a few weeks ago when Abdi had sent Matteo a few of his favorite podcasts after he mentioned sometimes liking the murmur of other voices in the background so that silence wasn't so suffocating. </p><p>David let himself lay there a while longer, relishing in the smells and sounds that he could process without the tsunami that had been inhabiting his head. After a few minutes David got himself up, suddenly feeling very needy for Matteo's warmth. The moment he entered their tiny kitchen, Matteo spun around, wooden spoon in hand and ready to wrap David into his arms.</p>
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